A Single Snowflake
by ColonelSoapScum
Summary: Five years have passed since that fateful day. Will things ever go back to the way they used to be? Mamoru-centric
1. The Beginning

A/N: Inspired by a picture of Mamoru and Haruka I saw in the manga. Set many years in the future, in the middle of winter.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, all belong respectively to the creator of UDDUP

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December 24, Christmas time. Mamoru never enjoyed this time of year, it reminded him too much of what happened almost 5 years ago. She disappeared without a trace, and never heard from her again. The Wall broke apart, Igawa and Mamoru went their separate ways; every once in a while Igawa will ask Mamoru out for lunch but he quietly refuses. He doesn't necessarily blame himself for what happened, but he doesn't blame anybody else either. Sierra never forgave him though, no matter who's fault it was.

He missed her smell around the house the most, her scent was so distinct to him traces of it still lingered in the house. He had to cook for himself again, which meant microwave food and ramen; and the occasional slice of cake. He wished she had taught him a little bit more about cooking.

Grabbing his cane and his fur lined coat, he made his way out the door of his home. He decided a walk would be good to cool his nerves a bit, no matter how cold it was outside. He wasn't wearing his special shades today, he knew exactly where he was going. Besides, even with what little he could see with the outlines and wire figures he didn't want to bother looking at them.

Even though he was blind, he could still picture everything that was going on around him with what he heard and smelled; people singing carols, the smell of pine and peppermint. Walking down the street he remembered where to turn when he smelled the bakery he always went to. The one good thing about this time of the year were the sweets that were baked there.

"Ah, Mamoru-san welcome," a dainty voice echoed throughout the shop as Mamoru walked in, the bell chiming behind him. Counting his steps up to the counter as he always did, he stopped right before the counter and placed his hand on the warm glass container which held all the cakes baked for the day.

"Surprise me Amaya, not sure what I want today," Mamoru replied back in his usual rough tone of voice. The bakery woman's voice reminded him of her everyday. _"Maybe that's why I always come here"_

He felt the woman take his hand and place it under a box with what felt like a ribbon on it. Mamoru reached for his wallet to take out some money when Amaya gently nudged it away.

"No need today Mamoru-san, Merry Christmas." She said happily, bowing to him.

A small smirk shone through his normal scowl, "Thanks,"

Mamoru turned and walked out of the bakery, balancing the cake in one hand as he always has. He walked over half a block to a cross walk and waited to hear the affirming ding of the go signal. While waiting he heard a few girls, he assumed young high schoolers, behind him giggling and whispering to each other.

This he was used to, whether they're talking about how tall he was, or whether they noticed the cane didn't matter to him. He tended to keep away from people at all costs.

Hearing the first chime of the go signal he walked across the street and straight into the park he visits on a regular basis. Finding the nearest bench and sat down, opening the box that contained his Christmas present. The fork was there where it always was, and he picked it up and took a bite of the cake.

"_Strawberry..._" he thought to himself while munching on the delectable.

A cold wind blew through his bare hands and he felt a few snowflakes on his cheek. He tilted his head up and let the snow drop on his face. Closing his eyes he started to relax and take everything in, he pictured his surroundings. Remembering the wire membrane he usually saw, he tried to form images with it. He pictured the snow atop the trees and creating a beautiful blanket on the ground. Then some foot steps interrupted his mello. He opened his eyes, almost expecting to see what he had imagined, But only pitch blackness welcomed him.

He moved his head back down to take another bite of his cake, but he still listened intently on the footsteps coming near him. Not one, but two people he assumed. As they walked near him he could hear their voices and laughter. Passing by him quicker then he expected he was in silence again. There was something odd about tonight, he felt calm which is something he hasn't felt in a long while.

There have not been any attempts on his life since she left almost exactly 5 years ago. There was no need for him to fight anymore, no body to protect. He still practices every day to keep him alert and ready at any moment.

He reached for one last bite of his cake, and he set the box aside as he heard another pair of foot steps in the distance. This time the crunching of the snow was apparent, it must be snowing harder then he thought. As the foot steps got closer, they sounded small, like they were coming from a petite woman in heels. Closer and closer they came until eventually they stopped right in front of him.

He leaned forward and clasped his hands together, leaning against his knees. He looked in the general direction of the woman in front of him, still staying silent.

"How are you ever going to know it's me if you don't wear the right sunglasses, Mamoru-san?"

The soft, delicate voice rang through his ears like chimes. He knew that voice, a voice that hadn't hit his ear drums in years. It was soothing, like all his worries went away. A smirk grew on his face and a small chuckle escaped his lips.

"Haruka..."

Mamoru stood up as his whispered, but in a split second before he could react, the woman rushed into him, wrapping her tiny arms around his torso, pressing her face into his jacket. She started sobbing and gripped his jacket with her hands. Sighing he wrapped his arms around her in return and rested his chin on her head. She was taller then he expected.

"Even though I may be blind, I can see you're still a little brat," he chuckled again as he felt her laugh a little through her tears.

"_I've missed you..."_


	2. The Dance

Chapter 2

The Dance

Mamoru stood there with Haruka for what felt like hours. He didn't stop her crying, nor said anything. Although he wanted to ask everything all at once, he needed answers.

"I'm so-sorry Mamoru-san...for le-eaving you," Haruka's voice broke his train of thought. Her speech was broken through her sobs, and muffled from being buring in his jacket. "I neve-er meant for it to go that far,"

Mamoru furrowed his brow, confused and feeling like he isn't being told something.

"Haruka, tell me what happened. You've kept me and everybody else in the dark for five years, and now you come back out of the blue, what's going on?"

"It's a long story...," he heard Haruka sniffle and lift her head off his chest, "Why don't we go some place together? We can talk about it then,"

Mamoru was slightly puzzled, but agreed to it. Haruka then took his hand and pulled him to the right.

"C'mon Mamoru-san!" Haruka exclaimed excitedly, having Mamoru let out a slight groan and follow her. He had no idea where she was taking him, and not sure if it was safe to do so. He didn't want to ruin the moment, or what was left of it anyway.

Mamoru followed Haruka for a while without saying a single word. He wished he had at least packed his special sunglasses with him so he could somewhat figure out where they were. All around him he heard the hustle and bustle of the city on Christmas Eve. People doing last minute shopping, being with their loved ones, enjoying the music and decorations.

Eventually Haruka stopped them, and Mamoru started hearing music, and people's feet shuffling on a hard floor.

"Where have you taken me?" Mamoru was puzzled once more, what did she want to do with him on Christmas Eve around so many people? It started to make him a little uncomfortable.

"Lets dance together."

Her voice echoed through his head again, a sweet and cheerful tone. As much as he wanted to refuse, he couldn't bring himself to saying no.

"Fine, I'll lead but you're going to have to watch out for other people." Mamoru grunted and held out his hand for Haruka, and she took it. The two of them walking forward together. He stopped when Haruka did, knowing they were in an open enough area. He faced her, holding her hand up and placing his other hand on her waist. He waited until Haruka placed her hand on his shoulder in return, and they started to dance.

It was a simple waltz, the one, two, three repeating in Mamoru's head until he got it pat down. It had been a long time since he had danced, in fact it was before he had become blind. As a martial artist as well it wasn't hard for him to keep a rhythm, even without his eyesight. He was almost lost in the moment, sometimes letting go of Haruka to spin her. He even dipped her once, which caught the attention of quite a few on-lookers as he heard them clap afterwards. They kept dancing, as Haruka spoke up.

"This day five years ago, I sneaked away from everybody to see my grandma. I never got to see her though, on the way there while I was taking the subway I got caught and taken away. Even with my disguise they knew who I was. I was blind folded and gagged, and I remember two guys talking to each other, then I blacked out,"

Mamoru was listening intently to her story, while still keeping up with the music.

"Next thing I knew I woke up in a penthouse, I didn't learn until later that I was being held captive by a mob boss. He knew about you, and the Wall, and made me sign a contract that if I were to contact you or anybody else, they would kill everybody. At first I didn't believe them, but what they showed me made me fear for everybody's life. So I gave in, and essentially became a servant to him,"

Mamoru gritted his teeth, but let his anger subside, and spun Haruka again. When she came back around to him taking his hand again, he stopped his feet and pulled her close.

"You should have known better to go out in the first place. You also know the Network has resources to retrieve and protect you at any cost," he whispered to her, and commenced dancing.

"I know. I was scared though, I didn't want to take any chances. If they had succeeded in killing you, I would have never forgave myself."

"So what did you do for all this time? How did you escape?"

"I got them all the money they wanted. They succeeded in using my pre-cog abilities, and because I was under contract I didn't want to refuse," Haruka's voice got grave for a moment, and she paused as the music slowed down and they matched their dance, "A few days ago I had finally finished getting my escape plan together. Every once in a while they let me out for alone time, of course highly monitored and if I wasn't back by a certain time frame, I was punished. But each time I did I added something to my final disguise that eventually led me to run free. For a little while at least. It's held off most of the thugs connected to the boss. The first thing I wanted to do was find you, and thankfully it didn't take very long to do so,"

The story enraged Mamoru, but at the same time he wasn't angry at her. She had done what he would have done in that situation. He didn't realize how much of an influence she was in his life. He felt Haruka lean her head against his chest.

"I missed you Mamoru-san," Haruka said quietly, almost sleepily, as she was sure only Mamoru could hear it. He snorted slightly, and dipped her and held her one last time as the song ended. The crowd, which must have increased in size since he last noticed, applauded quite loudly.

He gave the best smile he could muster, and tilted his head down in Haruka's direction. She giggled slightly, and felt her take his sunglasses off and put both hands on his cheeks, thumbing over the scars on his face. Before he could lift her back up she had reached up and gave him a very passionate kiss, in which he graciously returned.

"_If only I could see you right now, but I know you've grown into quite the young woman,"_

A/N: Ahhh here it is! After re-writing this part about three times I got the scenario I finally wanted. Sorry if Mamoru seems more out of character then usual. It's hard to write him into a romantic situation.

Also, there WILL be a third and final part to this. As to when I'll get around to writing it, who knows.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they all belong to Double-S respectively.


	3. The Promise

Later that night they returned to his place. The side door had led right into the kitchen and on the counter is where Mamoru had his special shades, without haste he swapped them for the ones he had on already. Waiting for a moment for the wire membranes to kick in, he took off his jacket and hung it up beside the door. Looking around for Haruka, he had found her wandering around the kitchen. He also took this moment to see what she looked like;

She had definitely grown taller, but he couldn't tell if it was from the heels she was wearing or not. She was wearing a mini skirt and a long sleeved sweater that very nicely curved her torso. Her legs were long and slender as well, something he quite enjoyed. Looking up he noticed her hair was short and choppy, but otherwise looked like the same Haruka he had known five years ago.

"You kept this up all these years?"

Snapping out of his trance, he walked over to the fridge she was looking at. She was holding a rectangle-shaped paper with the tips of her fingers as the star shaped magnet held it in place. Even though he couldn't see what it looked like, he knew it was a picture she had taken of the two of them when she was thirteen and put up on the fridge with the same star shaped magnet. He didn't have it in him to take it down, just in case she had come back.

He grunted in response and walked into the living room and grabbed the TV remote, turning on the news. Slumping down on the couch, he clasped his hands over his chest and closed his eyes for what seemed like only a few seconds...

_Snow was falling fast, everything was quiet. _

_He stood in the middle of a circle, he was surrounded. They knew where she was taken to, they wouldn't speak a word, nor would he kill them for fear of never finding out where she was being held. _

_They all came at him at once, he defended as best he could, but he was no match for them. _

_A sharp pain erupted from the back of his head and he hit the ground, glasses flying off his face and katana out of his reach. Someone was holding his head up by the hair, and was smacked into the pavement. _

_A young girl's scream filled the silence._

_Then he blacked out._

"Mamoru-san? Is everything alright?"

He jolted awake from being shaken, his hands trembling and heart racing. He looked up and saw Haruka sitting beside him on the couch looking at him.

"Mmm... I'm fine. Just a bad dream" At that moment he felt her tense up and hold her breath. Her hands clenching, just then realizing one was gripping one of his pant legs. "Trust me, I'll be okay. I always have been,"

He saw Haruka get up and start walking into the kitchen, "Food's ready, after you fell asleep I figured I would make some dinner for us," her voice trying to sound relaxed.

At the sound of food from her made him happy, it had been so long since she cooked for him. He got up off the couch and walked into the kitchen, the aroma of spices and meat aroused his senses. Sitting down at the table, Haruka following they started eating.

"It's not much... but I hope you'll enjoy anyway" her voice cheerful again, he guessed because of the odd smile he always gave when he was happy.

They ate in silence, but greatly enjoying each others company. He would gaze up at her from time to time, noticing her elegance even when she ate.

As they finished with dinner, Mamoru got up and cleaned off the dishes. While doing so Haruka disappeared off into the living room. Hearing her rummage through something, and hearing squeals of excitement.

Curious as ever, he finished with the dishes and walked into the living room, seeing Haruka put something into the DVD player.

"Lets watch a movie together Mamoru-san,"

He knew what she meant by that, he knew she wasn't stupid enough to forget he couldn't actually watch movies. What she really wanted was to lay on the couch together as she watched and he fell asleep. He grunted again and sat down on the couch leaving room for Haruka to lay down next to him. As she finished setting up the movie, she ran over and plopped down next to him, resting the back of her head against his chest. He rested his arm on the edge of the couch next to Haruka and laid his head back again, relaxing.

He heard her giggle slightly, "Thank you Mamoru-san. Merry Christmas"

He reached his hand to her cheek and brushed it ever so slightly with his fingers, her soft skin against his rough hands made his heart skip a few beats, as he was sure hers did the same.

Mamoru woke up the next morning with a blanket on top of him and his glasses off his face. Rubbing his eyes and reaching around for his glasses, he got up from the couch and looked around. The house was quiet, except for a faint beep every few seconds. Someone had left him a message on the answering machine.

_Haruka..._

He rushed over to the beeping machine and pressed the button to hear what it had to say.

"_By the time you hear this, I will have already been gone. I had a vision that I couldn't ignore, they found me. They knew where I was hiding and I had to go back to them before you were killed. Even though I will be severely punished for this, I do not regret what I did. All the pain I will endure will be worth it because I got to spend some time with you for the first time in a long while. Yesterday was the best day I could have ever asked for. Nothing in the world could stop me from loving you like I do Mamoru-san. And it's because of that I want your safety to be my top priority. I will be back some day, and I will be free from them. I'll come back for you Mamoru-san... (small sobs can be heard from the recording) I promise. Until death do us part. I love you,"_

As the recording ends, he clenches his fists and punches the wall behind the desk, leaving quite the dent. He slumps back in the chair next to it he leans forward on his knees and buries his face in his hands.

'_Haruka... please come back alive. What do I do without you to light up my world?"_


	4. The Rescue

**A/N: I caved and submitted another chapter. I wasn't happy with the depressing ending, so here's part 1 of the ending (hopefully) **

**I do not own Until Death Do Us Part or any characters involved, all other scenarios are parts of my imagination built up by me.**

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The Rescue

Mamoru started searching for her the day she went missing. This time around he was going to find her, no matter what. Even if it takes him another 5 years. He longed for her... he needed her.

Come spring he searched for Igawa and didn't need to convince him much to help. They started scouting and following thugs, getting information from them. From what they were hearing, she was being held somewhere in the city, but names escaped them. Months passed by with out any other leads.

They eventually got the name of the head boss in charge of the kidnapping, this wasn't the first time he had done this to young girls. The pre-cog ability Haruka had was a bonus to them, and the fact she had gone missing for a day angered them. Mamoru feared the worst of what would happen to her.

Two days before Christmas their plan was set in motion. Igawa staked out the van a block from the hotel that they had pin pointed a month prior. She was being held in the penthouse at the top floor of the 5-star luxury hotel. He knew they would have a tough time getting in the easy way, so what better way to break into a hotel? The roof of course.

Knowing there would be guards disguised as bellhops, he had to go in through the back finding the fire escape ladder. Making his way to the very top, Igawa sent him a layout of the hotel through the transmission of his glasses.

"I'm sending you the layout of the top floor and the air ducts. You can only get in through there, every other area is guarded heavily," Igawa spoke through the ear piece in Mamoru's ear as he climbed to the top of the building.

"Like that would stop me," growled Mamoru, finding one of the air ducts that rose through the roof. Unsheathing his sword he cut open the grate keeping most people from entering, most likely for their own good. When he was convinced he could climb through he slid the katana back into his cane and crawled into the smaller space, sliding down to the first level of air ducts.

"_It's so cramped... Igawa better tell me the right one to break through" _Mamoru grunted as he got used to the cramped duct, making the best of the situation. A voice started breaking through the transmission again.

"Ok, you're gonna have to go forward until you can turn right, and at the end of that is the room you'll have to break through. Be careful you don't fall prematurely, I don't know how much weight these things can stand."

Mamoru silently replied with a nod and started crawling forward, hearing creaks and bends of the metal as he progressed. He heard voices below, in what he presumed to be the hallway, they seemed to have noticed his infiltration. He stopped before a grate, because of the 3D outline feeding into his retinas he could see right through the duct, and there were about 6 men patrolling around the hallway.

Trying to avoid the grate he slipped around the corner, but only to hear a loud creaking of metal again. He found himself sinking with the air duct

"_Shit..."_

Next thing he knew he was catching his fall on the ground, right in front of a line of ready goons. Standing up and unsheathing his sword all at once he lunged forward and sliced at the first man, making him topple to the ground bleeding. He wasn't going to hold back this time.

"Mamoru! Be careful, these men are heavily armed. The room is just ahead of you down the hall," Igawa didn't sound too worried, but taking precautions were never terrible.

Two more men ran up to Mamoru, one with a knife and the other a pistol. He dodged to the left when the guy with the knife lunged at his chest, and parried with a slice across the chest, and through his right arm, cutting it clean off. Almost instantly he had to crouch down to avoid the bullet shot by the second man, and cut upward at the man from his leg to his neck, cutting the major arteries and sending him to the floor.

Leaping over the two fallen men he faced the last three stood right by the door. Two had guns, and the third in the middle was wielding a sword similar to his own. Just as quickly as he took down the previous two, then lunged forward and struck down the two gunman before they could shoot at him, facing the swordsman. They stared at each other for the longest time, reading each others moves. Finally the other man spoke.

"So you're the blind man who everybody's been talking about. You've been making a name for yourself again in the past year, and you thought you could sneak in and take the girl just like that?" The man spoke curtly, his voice like a snakes, and made the hair of the back of Mamoru's neck stand on end. "It's hard to believe you really can't see, the way you move around with that sword."As the other man spoke, Mamoru stood his ground. Unwavering as he collected his senses. Not saying a word he shifted his weight on the balls of his feet, ready to strike.

Not a second sooner, the swordsmen clashed blades together. Mamoru stared at the other mans hard outline, unable to read his facial expression well, but he could tell he was trained well. Not well enough for Mamoru's skills however. He pushed back with his sword with one last push and send the other swordsman stumbling backwards.

An opening. He leaped forward with his sword above his head for a downward strike, but the other man quickly recovered and blocked him, knocking Mamoru's sword out of his hand having it fly behind him several feet. He stumbled backwards and reached back for his sword as the other swordsman reached forward and left hooked Mamoru in the side of his face, breaking his sunglasses.

The 3D outlines flickered and disappeared as he realized he hit the ground. Cursing himself for thinking the other man left an opening so easily, he tried to get back up, only to have his back stepped down by the other man.

"Tch, this was too easy. You're rusty samurai," The mans voice rang through Mamoru's mind. He tried to re collect his senses listening for the other mans movements. Just then his transmitter crackled and he could hear Igawa's voice, although just barely through the static.

"Shit you've gone and broken your glasses. I can't even tell you whats going on so you can evade his attacks with another pair of eyes,"

Mamoru gritted his teeth, mentally telling him to shut up so he can concentrate. Thinking of something quickly, he reached on the inside of his jacket as best he could, and grabbed one of his daggers and lunged it into the calf of the other swordsman. Weight lifted off him and the man staggered back and Mamoru got to his feet and pulled out the rest of his knives. This would be more then a challenge doing it completely blind, but it's not impossible for him.

He listened for the man to stop moving and could hear his breathing staggering, waiting for him to be right in front of him, and still. When he pinpointed where he was, he threw the daggers. Hearing the man grunt and fall to the ground, he assumed he hit him where he wanted. The man shouldn't move for quite sometime.

Reaching his hand out towards the wall, he leaned against it to catch his breath.

"Mamoru, I got the feed from your glassses up on my screen finally, can you see anything on your end though?"

Mamoru groaned, there was nothing on his end. Darkness welcomed him as much as it ever did, he wasn't meant to even see 3D outlines, so he didn't take them for granted when he lost the images.

"Still blind as ever, just tell me how many more men are around and I'll take them out just as easily," Mamoru was reaching around for his sword, and eventually found it. He stood up straight, feeling his arm stiff from the parry attack he endured a short while earlier.

"You took out the last one it seems, the only one left is the big man himself and he seems to be running up the east stairwell, and I think he has Haruka in tow,"

"Bastard, which way do I go?"

"Take a left ahead of you and there should be a door at the end of the hallway. That's the stairwell they're taking up. You should be able to catch up with them if you run,"

"Easier said then done for a blind man Igawa," Mamoru followed Igawa's instructions and heard the echoing of the concrete stairwell. He heard footsteps several floors above him, they sounded big and hefty. He reached forward for the railing and started running up the stairs, staggering when he missed a step but eventually got used to the distance between them. The other foot steps got louder and louder and eventually reached the top, hearing a door open to the roof. Following the noises, he ran out onto the roof again, feeling the sunlight against his skin. He heard the man stop in his tracks, and rustling of clothes and a muffled voice along the mans booming one.

"So you've come to rescue your damsel in distress have you? Take one more step and she's a goner, I'll throw her off this roof before you could get remotely close to me. I have no use for her anymore, she refuses to obey me. Saying you'll come rescue her at any moment. Even though we threatened your life she still disobeyed. She's paid a hefty price for that, although you probably can't see seen as your glasses are cracked."

Mamoru clenched his teeth, wondering what to do next. Haruka's life was at stake, he couldn't do anything reckless.

"_Haruka... I'll figure out a way to save you, just hang in there,"_


	5. The Reunion

**A/N: Here it is, the last chapter! I hope you all liked this, I put a lot of thought into this whole thing.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in this, all belong to original creator of Until Death Do Us Part.**

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The Reunion

Mamoru stood there listening intently, waiting for the right move. He could hear Igawa telling him he's trying to fix the problem with the glasses and pin point their location; Haruka's muffled screams; the deep chuckles coming from the man holding her.

"Mamoru, I'm right below the hotel, what's going on now?" The transmitter crackled in his ear.

"I don't know, I can't see still because my glasses are broken remember? All I can gather is she's being held by the guy in front of me,"

"Ok. I can spot your outline through the feed from the van. It looks like he's holding her close to the edge, be careful. I'm going to try and distract him and when I say go, run at him and nab her. He's at about ten o'clock from you, and she's under his left arm,"

"Got it," Mamoru spoke as quietly as he could, hoping the man wouldn't hear him. The mans hearing was better then Mamoru thought.

"Hey, what are you saying? Who are you talking t-" The big man spoke in an intimidating tone, until he was cut off by a shrill high frequency pitch that made Mamoru flinch, he had hoped Igawa just forgot that he could hear better then anybody else.

"Go man, go! He dropped her, grab her!"

No a moment after Igawa first said "go", Mamoru recollected himself and was already running to get her. He held out his hand so that Haruka would see it and grab onto it, and when she did he swept her up and cradled her in his arms. He ran a safe enough distance to set her down and feel at her wrists. As he suspected they were bound, he leaned back slightly and lifted up his sword so she could cut the bonds. After a few moments of hearing her fumble she grabbed his free hand.

"Mamoru-san quickly, follow me!" Haruka's beautiful voice rang through his head, it calmed him, allowed him to focus at the matter at hand. He ran behind her, letting her lead the way

"Mamoru, I think I fixed it!" Igawa buzzed through the transmitter, and as soon as he did the 3D outlines started to flicker on, although slightly off because of the now obvious crack in the lens. It was better then nothing. He then stopped himself and Haruka and turned around to see the round man chasing after them. Mamoru readied his sword.

"You've made a big mistake fucking around with me, now you're going to pay for the 6 years that I lost," He spoke in a grave tone, enough to stop the man in his tracks. Lunging forward Mamoru swung his sword at the man, cutting the tendons in his arms and legs, making him topple to the ground. He stood in front of the man, now fallen to the ground and aimed his sword to the bridge of his nose. "I could kill you right here, but I'll leave you out here in the cold to die instead. A better fitting death for you,"

Mamoru sheathed his blade and turned around walking towards Haruka, picking her up and started running down the steps to the bottom floor.

"Mamoru-san, I can walk just fine..." Haruka started to protest. Mamoru didn't say a word, just kept moving trying to get them out of there before something else happened.

–

Mamoru escaped the hotel with Haruka with ease, after defeating all the other men, everybody else seemed to have vanished. He kept on running through, ignoring Haruka and Igawa's questions and protests, more so from Igawa because Mamoru hadn't said where he was going.

Mamoru felt the cold air envelope around them, the sun must have been setting. Snow also had accumulated on the ground judging by the sound of his footsteps. He glanced down at Haruka for a brief moment, noticing she was looking up at something. Whether it was him, or the sky above them was a mystery, but he kept on running.

Within minutes they arrive at the same park that brought them together again only a year ago. The gravel path and the trees half covering the area was all too familiar. Mamoru stopped and set Haruka down, and waited as she stood up and straightened herself out. It was still hard to believe how much she had grown in the past six years. Mamoru gazed at the outline of her slender body, and tried to fill in the gaps he couldn't see.

Haruka then wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing them, she was probably getting cold since she didn't have a jacket at all. He started to take off his fur lined jacket when he heard a small voice and stopped midway.

"You don't have to Mamoru-san... I'm fine. It's not that cold out," Haruka looked up at him as she spoke, smiling slightly. Mamoru grunted and finished taking off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders.

"I'm fine, you need it more then I do," he said curtly, he still had a long sleeved shirt on underneath anyways. He felt Haruka needed it more, he had to watch over her after all.

Haruka accepted the jacket and held it around her, shuffling her feet in the process. Mamoru looked up and put his hands in his pockets.

"Mamoru-san... your glasses are cracked. And you're bleeding, are you sure you're okay? We should find Igawa to fix your glasses, and clean you up, and I should cook you a good mea-"

Mamoru cut her off and wrapped his arms around her bringing her close to him, resting one hand on the back of her head. He leaned down and rested his head on her shoulder, her scent engulfing his senses.

"Shut up, you're being noisy. You're worrying too much about me. That's my job, to take care of you and make sure you're safe. I've neglected that part, and I've suffered for 6 long years because of my carelessness. Don't you ever leave my sight, I couldn't handle losing you again. Until death do us part right?"

He could feel her wrap her arms around him and grip his shirt like she did when they reunited the first time. Small sobs soon followed her burying her face into his chest as she nodded in response to him. A small, yet soft smile grew on Mamoru's face.

"_You cry too much.. you know that? But that's just one of many things I love about you"_


End file.
